Farthest Reach (9 page)

“Yes?” he said without turning.

“I’m glad you haven’t lost the habit of doing such work for yourself,” Queen Amlaruil replied. She glided into the stable and paused to pat the horse’s neck. “I see you have been out riding.”

Seiveril recovered from his surprise, and bowed. “Yes, my lady. I have just returned from Elvath Muirreste’s home.”

“He fell near Evereska, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did. Calling on Nera was the least I could do.” Amlaruil looked over the horse’s shoulders at him. “That was good of you, Seiveril.”

Seiveril brushed off his hands and said, “If you like, we can go inside. For some reason I feel uncomfortable entertaining the monarch of Evermeet while standing in my stable.”

“It has the virtue of being a place where we are unlikely to be listened to,” Amlaruil said. “I can think of a few people who might be tempted to scry on you. Or me, for that matter.”

“In that case, I suggest the garden.” Seiveril led Amlaruil through another door to a small bower between the stable and the manor itself. A simple stone bench overlooked a small, natural waterfall that trickled through the grounds. It was nothing compared to the expansive gardens ringing Amlaruil’s palace, but it was quiet and private. And just to ensure their privacy, Seiveril spoke a prayer to Corellon and wove a spell designed to obscure any efforts to spy on them.

When he was done, he turned to Amlaruil and asked, “What brings you to my house, my lady?”

“I wanted to know what you thought of Selsharra Durothil’s suggestion. Are you willing to resume a Council seat and hold an office such as she describes?” Amlaruil sat down on the bench and arranged her silver-hued gown.

“The East Marshal?” Seiveril frowned, thinking carefully. “Are you asking me to accept this duty?”

Amlaruil smiled. “Answer my question first, and I’ll answer yours.”

“Well … no, I do not think I want to hold such a title.” “Is it because Selsharra suggested it, or do you have some other objection?”

“I am certainly suspicious of Selsharra’s motives,” Seiveril admitted. “After all, she reversed her position with the skill of a pirouetting dancer, didn’t she? But even assuming that she was completely honest and forthcoming, I still am not sure that what she suggests will work.”

The queen tilted her head. “Go on.”

“If I swore myself to your service again, and accepted a titled office that made me a high captain of your army, I would naturally be subject to your commands. I would arrange my forces as you asked, I would march when you ordered me to march, and I would not march against an enemy unless I asked you first.” Seiveril shrugged. “That also means answering to the council for everything I do or don’t do.”

“The council does not have the authority to tell me what to do,” Amlaruil said. “It is true that I think twice before I disregard their suggestions, but the responsibility for Evermeet’s governance and safety are mine, not theirs. I will not allow the Durothils and Veldanns of the council to question my decisions beyond a reasonable point.”

“I am not certain that is as true as you would like it to be,” Seiveril said. Amlaruil’s eyes flashed, and he quickly hurried on. “You will not be on the throne forever, Amlaruil, and I will not be your general in Faerun for long. An arrangement we make now, because it suits both our talents and our interests, may not survive our successors.”

“Even I do not know when that day will come, Seiveril. We can hardly allow ourselves to refrain from making good and sound judgments now because we think those who follow us may overturn them.”

“Nevertheless. The next monarch to sit on Evermeet’s throne may not possess the mandate of the Seldarine, as Zaor did and you do. Even if a Moonflower heir succeeds you, the succession may entail compromises, limits on the monarch’s power. In that scenario, your heir may not be able to refuse a council demand to recall any standing army you leave in Faerun” Seiveril looked down at his feet. “I do not want to see my work in Faerun reversed, because Evermeet’s monarch or councilor the next holder of my prospective title, for that matter—change their minds about engaging Faerun in a decade or two.”

“Seiveril, I have no intention of departing for Arvandor any time soon.”

“That’s not always left to our choosing, is it?” he countered.

“You truly believe that you will have an easier time maintaining a presence in Faerun through your voluntary call to arms, when the council and the crown are willing to consider formalizing what you have done?” Amlaruil shook her head in disbelief. “Seiveril, I have been won over by the persuasiveness of your arguments so far, but I simply don’t see how this can be true.”

“I know,” Seiveril said, “but I have given it a great deal of thought over the last few days.”

The queen rose, and regarded him for a long moment. “The council meets again in a little less than a tenday, my friend. I am inclined to lend my support to Selsharra’s suggestion. It would place you in an awkward position if the council appointed a different lord to go to Faerun and assume command of those in your army who would prefer to serve under the Crown.”

“I will have an answer for you and the council,” Seiveril said.

Amlaruil nodded. She took his hand, and smiled. “Then I suppose I will go. Thank you for hearing me out.”

“You are welcome in my stable any time you care to visit it, Your Majesty,” Seiveril replied.

Amlaruil laughed, and turned to go. Her gown glittered like starlight in the gathering dusk. But at the moonstone archway marking the garden’s entrance, she paused and looked back at him

“One other matter I meant to mention,” she said. “I have heard that one of your captains wields Keryvian, the last of Demron’s baneblades. I knew the sword was in your possession, but I thought that it had answered to no hand since the fall of Myth Drannor.”

“Yes. I gave Keryvian into the keeping of my captain, Starbrow.”

“I do not know him,” Amlaruil said with a frown. Seiveril could understand her confusion. Any champion with skill and experience enough to merit such trust would have been known to her in Evermeet. “You must hold him in high regard indeed.”

“He is not who he seems to be.”

Amlaruil studied him for a moment, and her eyes widened.

“It can’t be Fflar,” she whispered. “Not after so many years.”

“Please, do not speak of this,” Seiveril asked. “He prefers to remain just Starbrow for now.”

“Seiveril, you can’t simply resurrect dead heroes when you need them! And he died so long ago.”

Seiveril glanced up at the darkening skies. “It wasn’t entirely my own idea.”

Amlaruil measured him, her expression stern. “You spoke of my mandate earlier. I sincerely hope you have the mandate you think you do. If you are wrong about what you’re doing, the consequences would be disastrous.”

She swept away into the dusk, leaving Seiveril alone in his garden.

The cleric sat down on the bench again, and watched the first dim stars emerging overhead.

“I hope I do, too,” he murmured.

*****

Five days of hard travel brought Araevin, Ilsevele, Maresa, and Filsaelene from Silverymoon to the ruins of Myth Glaurach. Spring rains drenched them for several days, until Araevin began to wonder whether it would be better to seek some form of magical travel to speed their journey. But he disliked teleporting unless he felt that he absolutely had to do so—sometimes teleportation magic went awry, after all.

Fortunately, they found villages and inns for much of their journey—first along the road from Silverymoon to Everlund, then at Lhuvenhead and Jalanthar. From Jalanthar, at the east end of the Rauvin vale, they struck out south and east through Turnstone Pass, and arrived at the ruins of Myth Glaurach an hour after sunset. As before, the ancient city was ringed with the lanterns and modest campfires of the elven army, a cheerful sight after days of riding.

Araevin and his companions left their horses at a large camp corral where the cavalry companies of the Crusade housed their steeds, and climbed up Myth Glaurach’s winding old footpaths, which circled steadily as they ascended the forest-covered hilltop on which the city stood. Small encampments of elf warriors and patrols of vigilant guards filled the old city, calling out friendly greetings as they passed by. With a few questions Araevin and his companions learned that Starbrow and Vesilde Gaerth were currently in charge of the army, since Seiveril Miritar was away on Evermeet, and that the commanders were headquartered in the city’s old library.

They found Starbrow and Gaerth poring over supply and equipment records, wrestling with the question of how to feed and arm not only the warriors of the army—elf warriors in a forest could get along for quite some time with few stores, and most had brought their own weapons and armor—but also the thousands of horses and the more exotic creatures that accompanied the army.

The two commanders made an odd pair. Starbrow was nearly six and a half feet tall and about as burly as a moon elf ever got, while the sun elf Vesilde Gaerth was a full foot shorter and slight of build. Starbrow looked up as they entered, and grinned.

“I was wondering where you were,” he said. “I was about to have Jorildyn cast another sending for you.”

“It’s a long ride from Silverymoon,” Ilsevele replied. She wrung out the hem of her cloak, leaving a puddle of cold water on the floor, and glared at Starbrow. “You had better have a good reason for sending for us.”

Vesilde Gaerth raised his hand in greeting. “Mage Teshurr, Lady Ilsevele, welcome back! I am glad to see you. Not to speak for Captain Starbrow, but I think we have a sound reason for seeking Araevin’s expertise. Our mages have had no luck with opening the portals the daemonfey left behind.”

“I’ll have a look first thing in the morning,” Araevin promised. “Right now we’re all tired, cold, and wet, and I wouldn’t say no to a hot meal and a mug of mulled wine, if anything like that can be found around here.”

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a tenday,” Maresa added.

“Of course. I’ll see if our quartermasters can find something for you.”

Vesilde called for an aide, who then headed off in search of some food and good accommodations for Araevin and his companions.

“We heard that my father went to Evermeet,” Ilsevele asked Starbrow. “Do you know when he will return?”

“Three or four days, most likely. He said there was one more council meeting he wanted to attend before he came back—but if you find something in the portals, he’ll return at once.”

Araevin and his friends dined with Vesilde and Starbrow, listening to the commanders’ accounts of the Crusade’s fruitless search for any sign of the daemonfey and the discovery of the hidden portals in Sarya’s buried vaults. Then they were shown to an old ruined chapel, its long-vanished roof replaced by well-secured canvas to make a reasonably warm and dry room in which to camp.

In the dark hours before dawn, Araevin roused himself from Reverie, found his spellbooks, and chose a small alcove of the old temple to illuminate with a pale light spell while he studied his spells of portal lore. When the sun came up, he joined the others for a breakfast of dried fruit and porridge provided by the quartermasters of the army.

“Arm yourselves for battle,” Araevin told them after they ate. “If we try our luck with an unknown portal, we might step through into the fight of our lives.”

While they were arming themselves, Starbrow appeared in the chapel’s old doorway. He wore a long green cloak over his shoulders with Keryvian belted to his waist, and he carried a large rucksack. The moon elf looked them over, and grinned.

“You certainly look ready,” he said.

Araevin looked at Starbrow in surprise. “You’re coming with us?”

“Unless you tell me not to.”

“Aren’t you needed here?” Ilsevele asked. “My father left the army in your hands, after all.”

“Actually, he left Lord Gaerth in command. I’m just his second. Besides, we’ve been sitting here for days. If there’s even the slightest chance that we might sniff out the daemonfey, I want to be a part of it.”

“I’ve seen his work with that sword of his,” Maresa observed to Filsaelene. The genasi set her hands on her hips, her crimson leather armor gleaming darkly. “I’m not going to tell him we don’t need him “

“Very well,” Araevin answered. “Let’s have a look at these portals you found. It may be a short trip if I can’t open them.”

Starbrow laughed out loud, then he led the small company into the streets of Myth Glaurach. A short walk brought them to the onetime palace of the city’s rulers. It was an impressive ruin, with great gaping arches and broken towers reaching to the gray skies.

“The grand mage’s palace,” Starbrow said. “The daemonfey used it as their stronghold.”

They climbed up the shattered steps to the open foyer, passed through into a courtyard within the overgrown walls, and there found a stone stairway deep in the palace, descending into the darkness below. Araevin frowned, and steeled himself. He knew all too well the vaults and passages beneath the palace, as did his companions.

Starbrow’s soldiers had illuminated the dark passageway with small lanterns, and they followed the string of lanternlit hallways and stairs as they descended deeper and deeper into the cold rock of the hillside. They passed several contingents of guards, vigilant elves who stood watch in case some undetected evil emerged from a hidden depth of Sarya’s dungeons.

“Have you had any trouble down here?” Araevin asked.

“We’ve found a couple of magical traps—spell glyphs, symbols, things like that,” Starbrow replied. “But we haven’t found any fey’ri assassins lurking in the cellars, or demongates to the Abyss, or dragon lairs, or anything truly dangerous. I think Sarya simply didn’t have the time to cover her tracks as well as she might have liked.”

The moon elf turned aside into a long, narrow gallery that Araevin recognized from his cursory exploration of the place a few tendays ago. Statues of grim-looking gargoyles crouched near the ceiling, leering down at them. The gallery ended in a blank stone wall, a single featureless block contained within a stone lintel carved in the shape of a winding vine climbing a trellis,